Dublin native is a national chess master

Dublin native Maggie Feng is a triple threat: coding enthusiast, martial arts black belt holder and a national chess master (yes, your mouth should be agape). Of the three talents, Feng’s chess skills deserve a special round of applause.

As of this year, the U.S. Chess Federation ranks Feng No. 11 out of the top 100 female players in the country. The 19-year-old national chess master discovered the complex game at 8 years old, and within months of first playing, Feng had already taken home first place in a chess competition.

“I think the best moment I had was making history… I didn’t lose a single game; I only drew my last game because I knew a draw could win first place. That was a really cool moment,” Feng says. “And there are not a lot of female chess players, and it feels really good to represent other female chess players out there.”

So how does someone train for a game of chess? Feng says it’s all about staying calm, thinking ahead, conducting research and practicing with chess puzzles; games that include having a limited number of moves, are played backward from a known outcome or work with the other player to complete a common goal.

“Chess has helped me improve a lot of skills like decision making, logical thinking,” Feng says. “There’s an unlimited amount of possibilities; every game is not the same and you can have so many different positions and see so many cool ideas happening in chess.”

Even with a large portion of her life devoted to chess, Feng still finds time to win off the chessboard. A few years back, she decided to add martial arts to her accomplishments after witnessing a captivating practice. Within three years she had gained her black belt.

But this autumn, the martial arts and chess worlds may miss this legend. After graduating from Dublin Jerome High School, Feng is set for The Ohio State University and plans to dedicate all her time to being a full-time student. Feng is excited to live on campus and tackle a new adventure – computer science and engineering. Her interest in CSE didn’t come from thin air though.

“I like programming, it’s really similar to chess in the thinking part and problem solving,” Feng says.

Feng isn’t sure if she’ll continue martial arts but is interested in joining a campus chess club – with more than 1,400 registered student organizations on campus, finding something she likes should be a breeze. As for competitive chess, Feng says it depends on her schedule and if she can dedicate time to training.

One day, Feng says she could see herself working for a major tech company like Google, but right now she’s focused on having the college experience and earning her degree. Based on previous trends, Feng will mostly likely succeed and win in her next chapter of life.

In July of this year, Feng was once again invited to compete in the U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship, the country’s most elite junior chess competition. The event was held July 10-20 in the U.S. chess capital of St. Louis, and included a prize fund of $10,300. Feng ranked eighth in the championship with a rating of 2198. For more on the championship’s final results, visit www.uschesschamps.com.

The Many Feats of Feng

In 2017, Feng competed in her first U.S. Women’s Chess Championship and tied for fourth place, defeating eventual U.S. Women’s Champion, Sabina Foisor. The U.S. Women’s game features 12 of the strongest female players in the country, with the first place prize being $100,000.

Also in 2017, Feng gained the FIDE master title, which sits two steps below the highest ranking, grandmaster. As of March 2019, there are only 38 women who hold this rank.

In 2018, Feng competed in her second U.S. Women’s Chess Championship and tied for eighth place.

Currently, Feng holds a chess rating of 2319, qualifying her as a national master. Ratings cap around 2,800.